Mop having compressing or squeezing means



Oct. 1, 1963 e. G. LOPEZ mo? HAVING COMPRESSING 0R SQUEEZING MEANS Filed Dec. 14, 19'62 PIC-3.4

INVENTOR. GEORGE G. LOPEZ BY 9 ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,105,258 M01 HAVING C(I'MPRESfiNG 0R SQUEEZING MEANS George G. Lopez, 6161 SW. 39th St, Davie, Fla. Fiied Dec. 14, 19b2, Ser. No. 244,729 3 Claims. ((11. 15119) This invention relates to a mop device that is formed of a generally rectangular foam rubber mop body, a handle structure pivotally connected thereto whereby the mop head may be swung to various positions to permit the use of either flat side of the mop body and with the mop also including a wringer attachment whereby the mop body may be squeezed together for removing water and dirt therefrom.

The mop embodies a foam rubber body of rectangular shape having fiat sides and flat ends and with the mop body being grooved at its forward and rear edges to receive a wringer mechanism that is hand actuated to squeeze the mop body together during the wringing action and with the mop having a detachable handle that is pivotally connected to a frame member that is disposed in one groove of the mop body and whereby the mop head may be swung in a vertical plane to dispose either of the flat sides thereof for a cleaning action either horizontal or vertical and whereby to efiectively clean a horizontal surface or a vertical surface with each of the flat sides of the mop body.

Novel features of construction and operation of the device will be more clearly apparent during the course of the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein has been illustrated a preferred form of the device and wherein like characters of reference are employed to denote like parts throughout the several figures.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective View of a mop constructed in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged horizontal section taken substantially on line 2-2 of FIGURE 1,

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section taken substantially on line 33 of FIGURE 1, and

FIGURE 4 is a front elevational view, parts broken away for purpose of illustration and to illustrate :a wringer bar embodied in the structure.

Referring specifically to the drawings, there has been illustrated a generally rectangular mop body 5, formed of sponge rubber or the like and with the body 5 having upper and lower flat faces 6, flat ends 7 and rounded forward and rear portions 8. The forward and rear edges are grooved at 9 and 19.

Disposed within the groove 10 is a fiat wringer bar 11, that is connected with a pair of spaced apart rods 12 that are slidable in longitudinal apertures 13 that extend through the mop body substantially intermediate the thickness thereof. Disposed within the groove 9 is a fiat bar 14, bent at its opposite ends to form right angle flanges 15. The bar 14 is :apertured at 16, receiving the ends of the rods 12 and the rods 12 extend through the bar 14 and are connected to a U-shaped wringer frame 17. The frame 17 is provided with outwardly extending lip portions 18 that are apertured to receive the ends of the rods 12 and are connected to the frame 17 by nuts 19. The opposite ends of the rods within the groove 10 are connected to the bar 11 by nuts 26. A manual pull upon the frame 17 causes the bar 11 to compress the mop body during the wringing and cleaning thereof and is moved outwardly, as shown in dotted lines in FIG- URE 3, causing the mop to assume a generally oval shape as indicated in dotted lines in FIGURE 3 at 6.

Means are provided to manually support the mop ice throughout its various uses, comprising a handle 21 that is connected to a frame 22 by a screw 23. The handle 21 is braced with respect to the frame 22 by diagonal brace bars 24. The frame 22 has its ends bent at right angle to form connecting arms 25 that are provided with studs 26 that are detachably engaged into apertures 15' formed in the flanges 15 and whereby to both detachably and pivotally connect the handle to the bar 14. The arms 25 are slightly flexible so as to perm-it disengagement of the arms 25 of the frame 22 and through the medium of which, the mop 5 is pivotally connected to the handle 21 so that the mop head may be swung in a vertical plane so as to dispose either of the flat sides 6 in engagement with the surface to be cleaned. The handle 21 is preferably formed of wood, while the several frames and bars are formed of flat relatively narrow strips of metal such as aluminum and that has a high degee of resistance to corrosion.

In the use of the device, the mop as assembled in FIGURE 1 is dipped into a container of cleaning solution and then shifted by the handle 21 over the surface to be cleaned. T he pivotal connection for the mop body 5 with respect to the handle 21 is such that the mop body may be pivotally moved to engage either of its fiat sides 6 such for instance as cleaning floors, walls or other surfaces that are difiicult to clean with :a conventional mop. After a predetermined cleaning of the surface, the handle is swung downwardly, and the operator grasps the frame 17, pulling the frame 17 upwardly and causing the bar 11 to compress the mop body through the medium of the rods 12, effectively causing a complete wringing of the mop body and causing any dirt that has accumulated thereon to be removed from the cleaning surface 6. It may be found necessary to employ a book 27 upon which the wringer frame 17 may be engaged to hold the mop in the contracted dotted line position of FIGURE 3 and to permit the mop to be dipped back and forth into the cleaning fluid to further cleanse its surfaces. The bar 11 is formed relatively shorter than the length of the groove 10 so that it will not contact furniture or the like and when the mop has been fully cleansed, the frame 17 is released from the hook 27, permitting the mop head to assume its normal full line position, as illustrated.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that there has been provided a very novel form of mop that is capable of being positioned to clean various surfaces with a minimum of effort and its pivotal connection with the handle greatly enlarges the use of the mop for cleaning various surfaces such as floor and walls. The mop head when in the contracted position as shown in dotted lines in FIGURE 3 may be held in such contracting position by the engagement of the wringer frame 17 with the hook 27, thus forming a generally oval body that is capable of cleaning windows and other difficult surfaces normally requiring special tools for the purpose. The mop body is preformed in any desirable manner to form the rounded end portions and to form the grooves 9 and 10*. The apertures 13 are permanently formed in the mop body and whereby to facilitate the replacement of the mop with respect to the bars 11 and 14 and the insertion of the rods 12. The device is highly effective for the purposes indicated, is cheap to manufacture, is strong, durable and due to the oppositely usable surfaces 6, greatly extends the life of the mop. v

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction shown, but that changes are contemplated as readily fall within the spirit of the invention as shall be determined by the scope of the subjoined claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A mop of the character described comprising a generally rectangular body of compressible absorbent material having flat parallel sides, flat parallel ends and with the leading and trailing edges of the mop body being rounded, the mop bodyrat its rounded edges being transversely grooved, a bar supported within the groove of the trailing edge and with the bar having right angled end portions that are apertured, a handle device that is provided with a U-shaped frame and with the ends of the frame being provided with studs pivotally engaged within the apertures, a Wringer device that includes a bar that is seated within the groove of the leading edge, rods connected to the last named bar and extending through apertures formed in the body of the mop to project through openings formed in the first named bar, a handle for the wn'nger that is disposed outwardly of the groove of the trailing edge for connection to the projecting portions of rods and whereby the wringer handle may be manually drawn outwardly for causing the second named bar to compress the body of the mop for wringing and cleansing the surfaces thereof, the body of the mop being pivotally supported with respect to the handle whereby the mop body may be swung in a vertical plane so as to engage either of its fiat sides upon a surface to be cleaned.

2. A mop of the character described comprising a body portion of foam rubber and with the body portion being generally rectangular in top plan view, the body portion having upper and lower flat sides, flat ends and rounded forward and rear edge portions, the edge portions being transversely grooved intermediate the thickness of the mop, a frame member disposed in the bottom of a groove in the rear edge portion of the mop body and with the frame having right :angle flanges, the flanges being apertured adjacent their terminal ends, a handle device that includes a U-shaped frame member and with the ends of the last named frame member being relatively flexible and provided with studs adjacent their terminal ends pivotally engaged within the flange apertures, a wringer bar that is disposed in the bottom of the groove upon the forward edge of the mop: body and with the bar being connected to a pair of rods that extend through pr'e-formed openings formed in the mop body and with the rods extending through apertures formed in the first named frame member, a U-shaped handle that is connected to the ends of the rods and with the last named handle having overlying engagement with the first named frame member and whereby the last named handle may be drawn outwardly of the groove to cause the bar to compress and squeeze the mop body whereby to discharge water from the mop and to cleanse the surfaces of the mop, the said mop body being pivotally supported upon the handle and whereby the mop body map be swung in a vertical plane to engage either of its flat sides to the surface to be cleaned.

3. The structure according to claim 2 wherein the first named handle is provided with a non-metallic elongated handle section, the handle section being connected to the U-shaped frame intermediate the ends of the frame and brace bars connected with opposite sides of the handle and angled outwardly and fixed to the U-shaped frame whereby to prevent lateral movement of the handle,

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,429,626 Horn Oct. 28, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS 86,281 Norway Oct. 10, 1955 817,809 France Feb. 13, 1937 1,029,722 France Mar. 11, 1 953 

1. A MOP OF THE CHARACTER DESCRIBED COMPRISING A GENERALLY RECTANGULAR BODY OF COMPRESSIBLE ABSORBENT MATERIAL HAVING FLAT PARALLEL SIDES, FLAT PARALLEL ENDS AND WITH THE LEADING AND TRAILING EDGES OF THE MOP BODY BEING ROUNDED, THE MOP BODY AT ITS ROUNDED EDGES BEING TRANSVERSELY GROOVED, A BAR SUPPORTED WITHIN THE GROOVE OF THE TRAILING EDGE AND WITH THE BAR HAVING RIGHT ANGLED END PORTIONS THAT ARE APERTURED, A HANDLE DEVICE THAT IS PROVIDED WITH A U-SHAPED FRAME AND WITH THE ENDS OF THE FRAME BEING PROVIDED WITH STUDS PIVOTALLY ENGAGED WITHIN THE APERTURES, A WRINGER DEVICE THAT INCLUDES A BAR THAT IS SEATED WITHIN THE GROOVE OF THE LEADING EDGE, RODS CONNECTED TO THE LAST NAMED BAR AND EXTENDING THROUGH APERTURES FORMED IN THE BODY OF THE MOP TO PROJECT THROUGH OPENINGS FORMED IN THE FIRST NAMED BAR, A HANDLE FOR THE WRINGER THAT IS DISPOSED OUTWARDLY OF THE GROOVE OF THE TRAILING EDGE FOR CONNECTION TO THE PROJECTING PORTIONS OF RODS AND WHEREBY THE WRINGER HANDLE MAY BE MANUALLY DRAWN OUTWARDLY FOR CAUSING THE SECOND NAMED BAR TO COMPRESS THE BODY OF THE MOP FOR WRINGING AND CLEANSING THE SURFACES THEREOF, THE BODY OF THE MOP BEING PIVOTALLY SUPPORTED WITH RESPECT TO THE HANDLE WHEREBY THE MOP BODY MAY BE SWUNG IN A VERTICAL PLANE SO AS TO ENGAGE EITHER OF ITS FLAT SIDES UPON A SURFACE TO BE CLEANED. 